2021-2022 MAVS NEWS: 4th in West | WCF loss [ARCHIVED]

[KillerLeft]

Re: dumb approaches: isn't there some value to pivoting quickly from their biggest offseason error?

Sure, I guess, but it depends on what you mean by "pivot" and how you're applying the word "error."

I think THJ has been BAD this year. I do NOT think he was bad during the previous two seasons at all, and did think he'd earned the contract. I thought it was fine that some wanted to go a different direction with the Mavs' money, don't get me wrong, but I don't think the contract he got was too much for the player he'd become from a team who wanted to use that player in that way. 

I think it's reasonable to wonder how much of the disappointing performance is an overnight decline from the player (not likely, imo), a struggle fitting into his new role in the new systems (probably) or just a slump (maybe, but probably at least partially caused by the systems). 

What the Mavs have to decide is: 
1) can THJ be effective within the strategies that Kidd has implemented? I think it might be premature to decide he can't, but it's possible that's the case. 

2) If he can't, then are the strategies really in the team's best interest? Can the strategies be adjusted slightly to find a best case scenario middle ground where some of what was already working here when Kidd was hired can be kept and built upon? 

If the above questions have been thought through and anti-THJ conclusions are reached, then you trade him, ASAP, while teams still remember his strong play from the past two seasons, imo. I just don't see any scenario where taking him out of the rotation but keeping him on the team results in an improved outlook for the Mavericks. He was their biggest FA commitment, so I doubt that's going to happen regardless of what we think. 

The easiest path to where we want them to be from where they are now is to hope that Luka and THJ both come back and start looking more comfortable in the new team environment. No idea if it will happen.